Skirt marker



Dec. 5 1950 M, MaCFA LAN 2,533,127

SKIRT MARKER Filed Jan. 9, 1946 Grace NflGmac F'owIOme a, W WJ JWPQJ M Patented Dec. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKIRT MARKER Grace M. MacFarlane, Rockford, Ill.

Application January 9, 1946, Serial No. 640,062

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to devices for marking skirts and the like, to establish a hem line thereon.

A general object is to provide a skirt marker for gripping and holding a measuring stick and a piece of chalk in the proper relation without the use of screws or other complicated clamping means.

A more detailed object is to provide a skirt marker in which the clamp for the chalk and measuring stick are each formed by parts of a resilient coil of wire.

Another object is to form both clamps from a single piece of Wire.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevational view of a skirt marker embodying the present invention, illustrating its manner of use.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the marker shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the chalk and stick supporting device of the marker.

In the drawings, the improved device 10 is adapted for use in gripping a flat piece ll of ordinary tailors chalk and a yardstick I2 and holding the two firmly in planes perpendicular to each other. Generally stated, the device comprises two clamps l3 and M, respectively formed by bending opposite end portions 55 and I5 of a resilient wire, preferably steel, into loops or helical coils, each comprising more than one revolution. The coils are disposed with their edges close together and are connected rigidly by the center I! of the wire, by which the coils are held in planes perpendicular to each other. While the coils may be of any desired shape, they are preferably circular, as shown, and of diameters about equal to the widths of the yardstick and. the chalk.

The wire portion I6 forming the clamp [4 comprises nearly two full convolutions, so that its end is terminates just short of the connecting part ll. Thus, the rounded outermost parts l9 and 20 of the coil form the opposedjaws of the clamp M for gripping opposite sides of the chalk piece H. two loops l9 and 26 are axially spaced apart a distance less than the thickness of the chalk so that the latter may be guided in between the loops and clamped firmly, due to the resiliency of the w1re.

The other coil forming the clamp I3 is formed The coil is wound loosely so that the Iii) in a similar way to provide clamping parts 2| and 22. Actually, the two coils may be duplicates, as shown, because of the fact that the yardstick ordinarily used in marking skirts is of substantially the same thickness as an ordinary piece of tailors chalk. Thus, the two clamps may be used alternatively to receive either the chalk or the measuring stick.

To provide for holding the chalk I l in a plane perpendicular to the yardstick, the two coils are twisted relative to each other, and the connecting portion l! is thus bent to hold the coils at right angles to each other.

Preparatory to using the device, the chalk II is pressed into one of the clamps, leaving its edge 23 projecting, as shown in Fig. 2. The other clamp is forced onto the yardstick, and the device ID as a whole is slid along the stick until the plane of the chalk edge II, as measured on the scale of the yardstick, is spaced from the end of the stick a distance equal to the desired spacing of the skirt hem from the floor. With the stick resting on the floor, as shown in Fig. 1, the chalk may be pressed against the skirt 24 to form a mark 25 indicating the desired hem line.

The device, being formed entirely of wire, is simple and inexpensive in construction, and yet may be attached to the chalk and yardstick quickly and conveniently. The two are held effectually in the proper relation without the necessity of adjusting screws or other clamping devices.

It will be apparent that the coil l5 constitutes one portion of the length of the wire while the other coil l6 constitutes the remaining portion of the wire so that the two coils are closely spaced together with their peripheries substantially in contact. This arrangement minimizes the chances of bending one coil relative to the other and insures that the chalk II will always be held accurately positioned in relation to the measuring stick I2.

I claim as my invention:

In a skirt marker, a piece of resilient wire having its opposite end portions bent to form two coils disposed in perpendicular planes with one coil comprising one portion of the length of said wire and the other coil comprising the remainder of said wire, one of said coils having its axis disposed vertically and the other having its axis disposed horizontally, each of said coils comprising a plurality of convolutions with the convolutions of one coil being axially spaced to receive and clamp a piece of chalk with the latter projecting outwardly horizontally, and the other coil having axially spaced convolutions for gripping a vertically extending measuring stick and Number holding the same at right angles to the chalk. 644 339 GRACE M. MACFARLANE. 6841680 REFERENCES CITED 5 333 22 The following references are of record in the 1 g file of this patent: 2060 373 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Strader Feb. 7, 1900 Crim Oct. 15, 1901 Davis Sept. 12, 1911 Mathis Apr. 14, 1914 Starke Nov. '7, 1916 Holtz Nov. 10, 1936. 

